The essence of the remarkable success of reality shows lies in the viewers’ interest inducing contempt for the common man. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many watched so much TV with so little good to say about it. On a sheer ratings level, the world over reality shows have worked wonders for networks. The continued dominance of family dramas has met with spirited resistance in the face of a plethora of on-screen showcasing of creative and emotive talent.

The concept of talent shows was in existence in the Indian TV market for quite some time. The recent revamp in content and exposure has added a sharp dimension. The cut-throat competition for TRPs is evident from ample data. This article focuses on the talent-based game shows which have redefined TV viewership.

The Horses in the lead

Specifically, we have zeroed in on the two most popular shows in this genre. Zee TV’s Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and Star Plus’s Amul Voice of India. Zee TV under the aegis of Gajendra Singh started the ball rolling in 1995 with Sa Re Ga Ma and it was aired till 2004. In 2005 the brand name was changed to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and incorporated audience interaction and preference through the system of voting. From 2007 onwards the youthful verve of Aditya Narayan has garnered eyeballs.

Star Plus’s Amul Voice of India incidentally resulted from attrition by the famed Gajendra Singh. He along with anchor Shaan started the Amul Voice of India in 2007. Auditions were based on the ‘Pop Idol’ format and the show content was similar to Singh’s original baby. However, it added a big slice to the increasing platform for latent talent to flower. In this year’s edition, Amul Voice of India has decided to pit regions against one another in their quest for the Holy Grail (TRPs!). Having shortlisted 24 contestants from 24 states, it has started an inter-state loyalty test programme! Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge has a unique concept of mentor-student and the on-show rivalry is often matched by the off-show publicity. Moreover, the global reach of the talent base registers foreign viewership for the programme.

Indian Idol on Sony Entertainment Television was the first among these shows to have public voting as the decisive factor for elimination. It starts its 4th season from mid-September. Currently, the main competitors for the aforementioned mega shows are 9X’s Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket and NDTV Imagine’s Junoon Kuch Kar Dikahne Ka. The former airs on Sundays at 8 PM and the latter twice a week – Friday to Saturday 8:30 PM.

The battle last season

The rivalry between Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and Amul Voice of India is evident from the timings of the shows. Both air simultaneously on Fridays and Saturdays at 10 PM. Analysis shows that Zee TV scored over Star Plus in TRPs last year. According to TAM, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, in 2007, had an average TVR of 6.5 (C&S 4+) over a period of 13 weeks in the run-up to the grand finale. The final episode delivered a TVR of 9.3. On the other hand, Voice of India on Star Plus delivered an average TVR of 3.6 over a period of 13 weeks. The final episode registered a TVR of 6.9.

This year Zee TV launched Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge on July 4, 2008. Amul Voice of India 2 started a fortnight later on July 18. The continued dominance of either will be functional on the talent on view and controversy generated.

Controversy’s child?

This kindles a slightly sensitive strain associated with reality based shows. The authenticity of “reality” is in question. Unscrupulous fabrication and pre-determined confrontations help in keeping viewers hanging on to the show. The misanthropic and tawdry interpretation of reality captures audience. Celebrity spats garner attention. Several allegations have been leveled (although categorically denied by the concerned channel) and they do not promote this genre in a very good light.

Zee TV, it can be argued, has a real but small advantage in launching Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge ahead of Voice of India. It manages to cultivate and draw in a net set of viewers. However, the flip side is that after two weeks the novelty of VOI would be an attraction and draw viewers away. In the long run the talent on show is the key to a long and sustained audience loyalty.

Comparative statistics

The graph below shows us the average TRPs for the two weekends – July 18 &19 July and July 25 & 26. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has an increasing but steady viewership with a slight dip in the 3rd quarter. Voice of India initially attracted eyeballs because of the launch and received higher TRPs. Although Voice of India remained steady throughout, Zee TV clearly garnered more viewership as evident from the almost parallel spacing. Also, the inordinate gap in the second quarter may indicate audience attrition.

Average Programme TVR (%)

Source: Media Express

TG: C&S 4+

Period: 18/07 --19/07 & 25/07 -– 26/07/08

Time: 22:00 to 23:00

Promotion strategies

The strategies adopted by the channels for the promotion have been divided into Television, Print and Radio. Web-based propagation of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has been undertaken by www.rediff.com. The website also features opportunities for merchandise sale.

The popularity of the concept has encouraged the channels to have shows targeted at a regional level. Zee Bangla has launched Sa Re Ga Ma in Bengali while Star Vijay has come up with a dance based reality show Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhudeva which aims to find the successor to dancing superstar Prabhudeva.

Market-wise Promo GRPs

Source: Media Express

TG: C&S 4+

Period: Week 20 to Week 29 (2008)

The pre-launch strategy of VOI banked on the intensity in duration and targeted the HSM 1+Mn audience mainly; their TRPs consequently were highest in that market. 9X was very active in pre-launch promotion but mellowed down later. Zee TV was median in its approach.

Week-wise Promo GRPs

Source: Media Express

TG: C&S 4+

Market: HSM

Period: Week 20 to Week 29 (2008)

In the weeks leading up to the launch, Zee TV started its television promotions from Week 24 -- three weeks before launch. Similarly, Star Plus started its promotion campaigns from Week 26. Both the campaigns reached a crescendo in the week of launch -- Week 27 for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and Week 29 for Voice of India. In comparison, 9X which was launching a new show had to build up a base and hence has been advertising since Week 20. The show was launched on July 13 (Week 28). Star Plus and Zee TV already had audience awareness, hence the late-burst ploy.

Channel-wise Distribution of Promotion

Source: Media Express

Market: HSM

Period: Week 20 to Week 29 (2008)

The number of networks used for advertising is understandably skewed. INX Media advertised only on their own channel. The intensity was high but the effective reach was lesser. This was reflected in the TRPs. Both Zee and Star used their vast bouquet of channels to give their respective channels full exposure.

However, they did not limit themselves in the reach .They advertised on other channels too (see table), and although the number of spots were far less on the other channels, the presence was nonetheless impact worthy.

Number of Insertions in Print

Source: MAP

Period: Week 21 to Week 28 (2008)

As far as Print advertising is concerned, Star Network did away with this completely. Zee TV and INX Media however had a little print presence in the weeks of launch. The reliance on their strong television presence showed confidence.

Number of Spots on Radio

Source: MAP

Period: Week 20 to Week 29 (2008)

All three shows used Radio effectively for promotion with emphasis on their respective weeks of launch. Zee had the maximum spots followed by 9X. Star, though present on radio, showed its reliance on its television network reach and only advertised in the launch week.

Conclusion